World Allergy Week Focuses on Atopic Dermatitis

World Allergy Week, hosted by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), will be held from April 22 through April 28. This year, the WAO’s is dedicated to raising awareness about atopic dermatitis (AD).

“[AD] is often associated with other allergic conditions such as food allergy, hay fever, and asthma in individuals who have allergic hypersensitivity or atopy,” said Elham Hossny, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Unit at Shams University Children’s Hospital in Cairo, Egypt and scientific chair of the WAO communications committee.

Many allergy societies who are members of WAO, including The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, will provide information to the general public and health care providers on the role of AD in the atopic march, addressing quality of life concerns for patients with AD, new treatment options, and the socioeconomic burden of AD.

“During World Allergy Week 2018, we are addressing challenges associated [AD] for patients and their caregivers,” said Ignacio J. Ansotegui, MD, PhD, head of the Allergy and Immunology Department at Hospital Quironsalud Bizkaia in Bilbao, Spain, and president of WAO. “By increasing awareness of [AD], we hope to influence the prevention or modification of the progression of allergic disease that we often see in infants and young children with [AD]. There are recently approved biological treatments that can improve the quality of life in children and adults with severe [AD]”

The WAO has provided infographics on AD, online resources, activities for World Allergy Week shared by participating organizations, webinars, and more.

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